lotusinthemud: UN warns Caterpillar that sale of bulldozers to Israel may implicate

On 28th May 2004 the Special Rapporteur on the right to food for the
UN High Commissioner on Human Rights Jean Ziegler wrote to Jim
Owens, CEO of Caterpillar Inc., to express deep concern "about the
actions of the Israeli occupying forces in Rafah and in other
locations in Gaza and the West Bank, using armoured bulldozers
supplied by your company." (1)

The letter (Ref: RRDB/RH) goes on to outline Caterpillar's
responsibilities under the International Covenant on Economic, Social
and Cultural Rights and other international human rights instruments:

"While only States are parties to the Covenant and are thus ultimately
accountable for compliance with it, all members of society
individuals, families, local communities, non-governmental
organisations, civil society organisations, as well as the private
business sector have responsibilities in the realization of the
right to adequate food. In this context, there is also a concern that
allowing the delivery of your D-9 and D-10 Caterpillar bulldozers to
the Israeli army through the Government of the United States in the
certain knowledge that they are being used for such actions, might
involve complicity or acceptance on the part of your company to actual
and potential violation of human rights including the right to food."
(2)

Caterpillar's worldwide code of business conduct states:

"Caterpillar accepts the responsibilities of global citizenship.
Wherever we conduct business or invest our resources around the world,
we know that our commitment to financial success must also take into
account social, economic, political, and environmental priorities."
(3)

However, when confronted by campaigners, Caterpillar claim that they
"have neither the legal right nor the means to police individual use
of that equipment." As the Special Rapporteur points out, where sales
to Israel are concerned it is simply not credible for Caterpillar to
claim that the end use of their products is not foreseeable, and the
company have a duty to prevent such foreseeable misuse. By ignoring
this fundamental duty of all citizens, be they corporate or
individual, the company is implicating itself in the human rights
violations and war crimes being committed in the Occupied Territories.

This strongly worded letter from the UN follows a recent report by
Amnesty International (Ref: MDE 15/040/2004) advising Caterpillar to
"take measures within the company sphere of influence to guarantee
that its bulldozers are not used to commit human rights violations,
including the destruction of homes, land and other properties" (4),
and echoes the tens of thousands of letters sent to the company by
activists in the US, UK and elsewhere. The lack of any credible
response from the company has led activists to tackle Caterpillar more
directly, visiting company offices, factories, dealerships and trade
exhibitions, engaging employees, customers and shareholders in
dialogue.

In April, US activists from Jewish Voice for Peace attended the
Caterpillar Annual Meeting in Chicago, having obtained sufficient
shares in the company, backed by the Mercy Investment Program and the
Sisters of Loretto, to present the first shareholder resolution in US
history examining a corporation's relationship with the Israeli
occupation. The resolution did not pass but achieved more than enough
support to allow them to refile next year. (5) After the meeting,
Caterpillar CEO Jim Owens wrote a letter to the activists, refusing to
meet with Rachel Corrie's parents, saying "I feel we have seen this
issue to its conclusion."

Rachel Corrie was crushed to death under the blade of a Caterpillar
bulldozer in Rafah, Occupied Palestine, as she stood in front of the
home of a local pharmacist, and friend, to prevent it being
demolished. The Nasrallah family home survived for nearly a year after
Rachel¹s death, but was demolished by the Israeli army early in 2004.
Just four weeks after Rachel was killed, Tom Hurndall was shot through
the head by an Israeli soldier in Rafah. As with Rachel¹s death, the
Israeli Army conducted an investigation and exonerated itself of all
responsibility for Tom¹s shooting. However, Tom¹s family and
supporters conducted their own investigation and, after a long
campaign, the soldier that shot Tom was finally charged on 13th
January 2004; Tom died the same day, having spent nine months in a
coma. The soldier is currently standing trial in Israel. The Hurndall
family strongly urge a similar investigation into the killing of
Rachel Corrie and all other innocents killed in this "culture of
impunity".

In March and April, actions took place across the world to mark the
first anniversary of the killing of Rachel Corrie. In Palestine,
activists from the International Solidarity Movement (6) and the
Christian Peacemaker Team remembered Rachel with a 'die-in' at the
Erez checkpoint, Gaza. Activists in the US visited Caterpillar
dealerships across the US and, the following month, went to corporate
headquarters with Craig and Cindy Corrie, Rachel's parents, in an
attempt to meet with Caterpillar CEO, Jim Owens. Meanwhile, activists
in the UK paid a visit to the Ministry of Defence-owned base of
Caterpillar Defence Systems Ltd, in Shrewsbury, and succeeded in
shutting down production for the day when management decided to
evacuate the buildings rather than observe a three minute silence for
Rachel. (7)

More recently, activists from the UK have been attempting to present
the Homewrecker of the Year Award to Caterpillar, so far without
success. Activists have also targeted the company at their
Headquarters, at the DSEi arms fair in London, at a trade fair and in
shopping centres and high streets all over the UK. (8)

Other companies supporting Israel¹s activities in the Occupied
Territories have also been targeted. In April, an 8 month campaign
against Rafael, a now-privatised former "support unit" of the Israeli
Occupation Forces, culminated in the company being evicted from their
central London offices, and this week Caoimhe Butterly, an Irish
activist, started a 2 week hunger strike outside of Cement Roadstone
Holdings in Dublin to focus attention on direct Irish complicity in
the construction of the Apartheid Wall. Joining, visiting or
supporting the fast are a number of activists and politicians,
including Dennis Halliday, former UN Humanitarian Co-ordinator to
Iraq, Tom Hyland, Senator David Norris and Nuria Mustafa. (9)

Co-signatories:

Jewish Voice for Peace (US)

ISM London & Caterpillar Out (UK)

The International Solidarity Movement (Palestine)

The Tom Hurndall Foundation

Contacts:

US: Liat Weingart +1 510 465 1777 (Jewish Voice for Peace)

UK: Josie Sandercock +44 (0)7900 248 957 (ISM London & Caterpillar
Out)

Palestine: Huwaida Arraf +972 (0)54 747 3308 or +970 (0)59 260 990,
or
ISM Media Office +972 2 277 4602 (International Solidarity Movement)

Notes for editors:

A cartoon is available:

Carlos Latuff, the Brazilian cartoonist, has drawn a special cartoon
to accompany this press release. It may be reproduced freely and
without charge. It can be downloaded

(1) Since the beginning of Israel¹s occupation of Gaza and the West
Bank in 1967, Israel has destroyed over 7,000 buildings, leaving
50,000 men, women and children homeless. According to the United
Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near
East (UNRWA), since the start of the current intifada no fewer than
14666 people have been made homeless in a single Palestinian town
Rafah. As well as 1476 homes crushed to rubble, the army has destroyed
sewer and water networks, creating a serious health risk for the local
community.

The IDF¹s weapon of choice in its home demolition campaign is the
specially designed Caterpillar D-9 bulldozer. But Caterpillar
bulldozers are used for more than house demolitions. Since the
Intifada began, Israeli troops and settlers using Caterpillar
equipment have uprooted an estimated 385,000 olive trees as well as
orchards of dates, prunes, lemons and oranges. The economic hardship
this has imposed on thousands of Palestinians comes on top of already
dire levels of unemployment and poverty in the Occupied Territories.

Caterpillar bulldozers are sold to Israel as weapons, through the
US
Foreign Military Sales Program.

(2) A .pdf of the letter

A copy of the document

(3) From Caterpillar's Code of Worldwide Business Conduct:

"We look for suppliers and business allies who demonstrate strong
values and ethical principles ... We avoid those who violate the law."

Caterpillar has repeatedly failed to respond to letters about the
nature of their trade with Israel and its compatibility with their
published code of conduct. For more information

(4) The Amnesty report may be accessed

The Main Recommendations in the Executive Summary include the
following sub-heading:

³TO CATERPILLAR Inc.

Caterpillar Inc., the US company which produces the bulldozers used by
the Israeli army, should take measures within the company sphere of
influence to guarantee that its bulldozers are not used to commit
human rights violations, including the destruction of homes, land and
other properties.²

(5) For full reports of the shareholder action and texts of the
speeches see: here

(6) Rachel Corrie and Tom Hurndall were working with the
International Solidarity Movement (ISM) in Rafah. Some of Rachel's
writing is included in a new book by and about the ISM Peace Under
Fire with cover photograph by Tom Hurndall. The book is available on
Amazon and from all major bookshops in the US and UK from July. For
details of the book launch, please contact:

US - Radhika Sainath +1 212 807 9680 (c/o Verso NY),
radhika_19@hotmail.com
UK - Nicholas Blincoe +44 (0)207 730 4254, nicholas@blincoe.com

(7) Links to reports and pictures of these actions:

groups.yahoo.com/group/palsolidarity/message/907

Remembering Rachel at Erez Crossing, Gaza

Video: 60 JVPers visit CAT dealership on anniversary of Rachel¹s
death

A visit to corporate HQ in Peoria, IL

(8) Links to reports and pictures of these actions:

Caterkillar refuses Homewrecker of the Year Award

Breakfast with Caterkillar 2nd attempt to present Homewrecker of
the Year Award

Fun at a trade fair

A visit to Head Office

Shutting down the arms factory for a day

One of many high street actions